Joseph  l



@auch tetes strot titre.,

inserer.. Lower, or Pir'rsn'ne, PnNNsrwANiA.

l y Letters Patent No. rH5283, dated MarchlO, 1868; anteclated February 20, liid.

nierstenen in serein-enormes.

TO, ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: ,f v

Beit 'known that l, JOSEPH L. Low/RY, of Pittsburg, in the county oi: Allegheny, und State of' Pennsylvanie-,beve invented e. new and improved Method o'flvoruing Steam in Engines; end l hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, und exact description thereof, reference being` had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, and tothe letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of my invention consists in so combining the cylinders of two vertical pumping-engines and a steam-reservoir cs that the steam, after acting against' the under side of the piston in the first' engine, sucient 'to drive it to the top of its cylinder, is then shut-cti" und allowed to poss intorand rnisethe'piston of the second cylinder. All communication between the lower part of the cylinders being now clnscd,A the steam under the p iston inthe secondcylnder is allowed to pees above the piston of the first cylinder; Simultaneously with the passage of the steam. from below the-piston of the second cylinder to the upper part of the first cylinder, the i steam under the piston of the iii-st cylinder-passes into a reservoir communicating with the upper part-ofthe second 'cylinder until Athe pressure in the rossi-voirie equal to that remaining in the lower part of the first cylinder. The passage is then closed upd Vthe balance of the steam under the piston of the fust engine allowed lto escupe. All resist-ance tothe downward movement of the piston in the iii-'st cylinder being removed, the stemfrom the lower part of the second cyliuder expands and forces it down. On theY completion of the nstroke of this piston, the' stenm in the upper part of the first engine arid the' lower port of the second cylinder escapes. Pressure Vfrom beneath the piston in thesecond cylinder being removed, the steam from the reservoir acts by expansion and forces it down. yThe connection istheu cut oil', retaining-a portion of the steam in .the reservoir, while thesteem that forced down the second piston is allowed to escape, thus completing the up and downrstroke of bothengines.

A To enable others to understand yund use my invention, I will proceed to more particularly describe the operation, by reference to Vthe accompanying drawings, wherein f Figure 1 represents ia.4 front elevation of two pumping-engines.

Figure 2 is e. kvertical section .of the same.-

Figure 3 represents e. transverse vertical section of one of the engines.

All the drawings are lettered, and similar letters denote corresponding parts inthe several views.

To carry out my inventief, I combine two o rdindry pumping-engines, having a reservoir connected with their cylinders by means of pipes and velvcs in such a manner that. the steam, in its passage from the boiler, enters the lower part of 'cylinder A, through the supply-pipe Cyund lifts the piston Bfto the top, when thev tappet S, onthehesvy weight Y, strikes against thecntch P, on the long rod T, and opens the valve z, vwhich allows-a portion of the steam to escnpe from under the piston B, through the pipe E, beneath the piston Z, in the second'cylinder D, pecisely in the sume manner that the steam passed from the boiler. into the first, raising, by expansion, the piston Z in` the second cylinder D. At'this instant the tuppetN on the heavy weight M strikes against the teppet VRend moves the valves O ubo'veA its ports K, above the ports23, and allows the greater part of the steam below the piston'in the cylinder D to poss through pipe G into the' cylinder A. above the pistonV B, Aportion of the steam which passed the ports 23 iseonducted by the small 'pipe W .underneath a. small piston, Brin side-pipe 17, which raises seidr piston, carrying with it the valve above the ports 9, and permits a portionof the stesm to pass through the pipe 12 into the reservoir 11, where it is held in reserve by the check-valve y24. The valve 8, by reason of the pressure of steam beneath the small piston 3, rises until the valve 8 passes the openings 10, which allows 'the balance of-steam to escape through pipe 13, enablingV that passing through pipe G'to force down the piston in cylinder A, when the tappet S, on the heavy weight Y, strikes against the catch l5 on-the valve-rod T, thereby drawing down. the exhaust-vulve 16 and induction-vnlye x, allowing the steam under th piston Z in the cylinder D to escupe through pipe Gr, end simultnneously therel with't'he steam-fromhbove the piston B in the cylinder` A to pass through the ports 16 and pipe 17, pressing down the vulves 8 und piston 3, which permits the steum te pass through the ports 10 and out through the exhaust-pipe 13.r The vulve m having been drawn below its ports, the sten-m from the boiler rushes in, below the piston Bpreperetory to the upward stroke. At this instant the reserved steam in the reservoir 11 passes 'in turn, has to wait until the upward stroke of thesecond engine is completed.

2 razas through pipe 20, lifting valve 25, entering the upper end of cylinder D, and presses down piston Z by force er" ex ansion.

p When the ltappct N on the heavy weight strikes against the catch 21, drawing-down the valves O, 26, and 25, shown in g. 3, the steam from the reservoir-11 is cut'o by valve 25being carried below its ports inthe side-pipe 20, while the valve 26 is also carried down, opening the ports 27and allowing the steam to pass down pipe 23, so as to force down the valve 28 below its ports, enabling the steam to escape through the exhaustpipe 22, the valve O being at the same time drawn down below its ports to adm' paratory to the upward stroke of engine D. The pistons in the cylinders a and d, having completed their up and down strokes, are ih position to'repeat their upward stroke.

Either engine can be worked separately, if required, but when working together thel pistons movein the following order: The piston in the first cylinder' ascends and the pistoninthe second-cylinder descends at-the same time, but the piston in the'secoud cylinder ascends and the pistou in the irst cylinder descends separately,

each waiting until the other has completed its stroke. The steam being admitted from the vboilerv 'into the first i expands from under it into the second cylinder, and, forcing the piston, with its load, to the upper end o f the second cylinder, it new rests in turn until the steam in the secondcylinder expands back into the first cylinder above the piston, pressing it down to the lower end ofthe cylinder, where it rst started from. The steam from the boiler, as in' the former stroke, forces the first piston uptothe upper end of its stroke, and at thesaine time the steam in the reservoir expands into the second cylinder above the pistou, forcing it down to the lower end of its stroke. The rst engine receivingitsmotive-power from,the boiler-on its upward stroke, and second engine receiving its motive-power from the reservoir on the downward stroke, are not required to wait o n each other, but' the second engine receivingA its motive-power on its upward stroke from the exhsust-steam of the first engine, haste wait luntil the first-piston haseompleted its stroke, and i'ulike manner the motive-power for the descending stroke of the first engine is received from the exhausbstam of the second engine, so that it,

cylinder, raises the piston with its load to the upper end of the cylinder. The'pistou now rests until the steam Having described the construction and movement of the engine, I will noir state what is the benefit or gain of my improvement. For an example, the first cyliuderbeing of suilicient area that steam, one hundred pounds to the square inch, when admitted into the c'y'linderunder the piston, will raise the piston to the upper end of the cylinder witha load equal te fifty tons, instead of 4exhausting the steam as worthless, asis done by the cornmon engines, the steam is expanded under the second piston, exerting a for'ee of one hundred pounds 4to the lsquare inch. As the piston ascends, the pressure of'the steam depressies, until, at the end ofthe stroke, thepressure will have fallen to fty pounds to the inch, the average pressure throughout th'estro'lre being-seventy-y ive pounds, sudieient pressure to raise thirty-seven tous. There being fifty pound's lin the firstcylinder, after having filled the second cylinder, this steam iu the`rst oylinder'is expanded into the reservoir, charging it to twenty-live poundsf pressure. The balance of the steam is lthen exhausted. The

steam non' in the second cylinder is exhausted at s pressure of -fty pounds back into the first cylinder abovethe piston, forcing it downat first with fifty pounds pressure, gradually decreasing, until, nt the end of the stroke, there are but twenty-five poundsto the inch, giving an average pressure of thigtg-seven pounds te the square inch ou the piston, equal to eighteen and a half tons, which, added to the thirty-seven'alrcady gained,

make fty-ve and a half tons gained. The steam from the reservoir expands with a pressure lof twenty-ve pounds into the upper end of thesecond cylinder above the piston, forcing it down, the steam gradually decreasing, till, at the end of the stroke, the pressure has fallen to twelve and a half-pounds, the average pressure on the piston being about eighteen and a half pounds, but the eut-off 'valve in the reservoir'reserves the steam-at the end of each stroke, so that for'the rst fourstrokes the. pressure gradually rises until the fifth stroke, when the pressure ceases to rise higher, being'a pressure of thirty-four pounds, and vfalling to seventeen pounds at the end ofthe stroke, giving an average pressure oftwenty-ive pounds, or equal to twelve and a half tons, which, added to the fifty-five and a half tons already gained, make a gain of sixty-eight tous, the whole duty performed being one hundred and eighteen tous, whereas the engines iu common use will give .but fifty tous duty with the same steam or fuel.

Another arrangement of the same principle will produce somewhat more favorable results,but cost double. Take four cylinders of equal size, and of suilcient area, that with one hundred pounds pressure to the square inch, will raise fty tous, the steam being admitted under the first piston will raise it to the end of its sti-oke, with its' loud of fty tons.f The steam is then exhausted into the second cylinder under the piston 'raising it, the steam actingn'ith e. pressure of one hundred pounds at first, and as the piston ascends the steam decreases in pressure, till, at the end of the stroke, it has fallen to fifty pounds, the average pressure being seventy-five pounds, suiiicieut to raise thirty-seven tous.` The steau is new admitted under the piston of the third cylinder,

l the steam actingat rst with a pressure of fifty pounds, and decreases 'as the pistonascends, till, at the'end of the stroke, Vthe steam-has fallen to thirty-three pounds to the square inch. The average pressure throughout the-stroke is forty-one and a half pounds, equal to twenty and a half tons. The lsteauris new, admitted under the'piston of the fourth'cylindcr. The steam acts at first with a pressure of thirty-three pounds. As the piston ascends the pressure dereases,vuntil, at the end of the stroke, the' pressure has fallen to twenty-five pounds, the average pressure being tweuty-nine and a half pounds, equal to-'fourteen sul a half tous, The whole duty performed or weight raised is one hundred aud twenty-two tous. Or the same principle can be workedin a single lcylinder by arranging the engine, that, the steam being cut off, say at one-fourth the stroke, the -piston shall gain leverage over the pump-head orduty to be performed in proportion as the steam in the cylinder decreases in power by expansion; myobjectbeing that the steam, when admitted into the cylinder, shsllbe taxed with all the duty that it has power to perform, and that as the steam becomes weakened by expansion the load to be raised or duty tobe performed shalll be correspondingly decreased until all the elastic power` in the steam has been spent. i

Having thus fully described my improvement, what I claim, and desire to secure by. Letters Patent, s An arrangement of the cylinders, valves, and passages for the steam, by which -I am enabled to use the steam alternately-below and above the piston, substantially as herein described.

I- also claim, in combination with the above-described arrangement, the reservoir for the reception of steam from the ret and' primary cylinder, substantially as herein described.

JOSEPH L. LOWRY.

Witnesses:

Roer. T. Form Taos. LowRY.. 

